Case with adjustable partitions



A. ALLEN 2,175,949

' Oct. 10, 1939.

' CASE WITH ADJUSTABLE PARTITIONS Filed March 26, 19s? :s Sheets-Sheet 1 as, ,'azf y MUM-4M V Oct. 10, 1939.-

A. c. ALLEN CASE WITH ADJUSTABLE PARTITIONS Filed March '26, 1957 5 Sheeias-Sheet 2 awe/rm Alfred /MST J77 A. C. ALLEN CASE WITH ADJUSTABLE PARTITIONS Oct. 10, 1939;

Filed March 26, 1937 '3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Oct. 10, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

The object of my invention is to provide a case or container with adjustable partitions. Primarily the purpose of the invention is to provide a water-tight personal carrying case for bathers having adjustable partitions or walls which will permit of adjusting the size of the compartments in the case to a suitable size to accommodate cigars, cigarettes, matches, money, cosmetics, compacts, or other desired articles, so that the compartments will be of suitable size to receive any particular article a user may desire to carry.

It is also an object of my invention to provide movable partitions which may be adapted for use singly or in multiples of two or more in this device and in other containers such as suitcases and the like.

It is also an object of my invention that the water-tightcase with movable and adjustable walls for bathers, by extension may be adapted to a carrying case similarly constructed to be worn on the belt or aliixed directly to the clothes as herein provided for, the same being made available for use by Boy Scouts as first aid kit or for other general utility; for hikers, travelers in general and for other persons. Also the case may be made with movable and adjustable walls and of suitable size and material that it may be worn over the shoulders supported by straps or military shoulder straps.

A further object of my invention is that the said movable and adjustable walls or partitions, whenever the size of the carrying case requires it, may be provided with thumb-screws or other suitable means for securing the walls in thedesired fixed positions.

I attain these and other objects of my invention by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a View of the invention in use by a bather;

Fig. 2 is a front plan view of the invention in open position, the dotted dash lines indicating the positions to which the respective partitions may be moved in adjusting the compartments to different sizes;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the invention, a portion of the cover being broken away and shown in section;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section through the case on line l4 of Fig. 2, the dotted line showing of the adjusted position of partition 26 of Fig. 2 being omitted;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section through the case on line 5-5 of Fig. 2; r

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section through the case on line 66 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a detail perspective View of the partition elements 29 and 32;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the partition 32 5 and the means for adjustably holding it in place in the case;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a portion of a case showing a modified form of partitions;

Fig. 10 is a detail sectional view of a portion of 10 the case showing one means of making the case water-tight;

. Fig. 11 is a similar detail sectional view of a portion of the case showing another means of making the case water-tight;

Fig. 12 is a detail view of a modification of the invention showing the means for positively securing the partition in an adjustable position;

Fig. 13 is a front plan view of a small sized case such as would be preferable for use of 20 bathers and having relatively few compartments, the cover being open and a portion broken away for lack of space.

Fig. 14 is a detail perspective view of a portion of a modified form of the case.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in each'of the several views.

Referring to the accompanying drawings I pro.- vide a suitable case or container I, primarily intended for the use of bathers. For such use it may be suitably attached to the belt 2, and if desired, also to shoulder strap 3, which is adjustable by means of a buckle 4.

In Fig. 2 the case is shown with all compartments in place but with a dotted line indication 5 of the possible movement of various partitions to adjust the compartments to difierent sizes.

. The side l2 of the case is provided with a hinge strap 14 and hinge 13 whereby the cover I5 is hinged to the case. Or the hinge l3 may be 40 made integral with the back and cover of the case if desired. The cover l5 has a rim I6 and a clasp I! which engages a corresponding clasp l8 on the body of the case. A rubber strip I9 is secured to the inside of the cover'of the case adjacent to rim I6 to coact with the rubber covering 20 which is mounted on the rim of the case to form a water-tight closure, whereby to make the case water-proof. The. sides l2 and ends ll of the case are formed with an inturned flange 2| extending all the way around the case and spaced slightly from the Walls of which the flange is an extension, as shown in Figs. 9 and 10.

In Fig. 11 there-is illustrated a modified means for making the compartment airtight, consisting of soldering an inverted approximately U-shaped strip 2 la to the wall H by solder S, one leg of the member Zia engaging a strip of rubber 20 which in turn impinges against the rubber strip I9, which is glued or otherwise afiixed to the inside of the cover of the case whereby the rubber strips i9 and 2|] will abut each other all the way around the case when the cover of the case is closed.

Alternatively the case may be made with an inner wall 2|a formed as shown in Fig. 14 and soldered or welded at the corners S, or it may be made integral. Suitable slots are provided in the inturned flanges 2| for the insertion of the wings which hold the partitions in adjustable position in the case. Either a diagonal slot 22 or a vertical slot 23 may be provided. The diagonal slot, however, facilitates the insertion of the wing 24a in the space between the flange 2| and the side |2 or end H of the case.

In the form of case shown in Figs. 9 and 13, the partition 24 is removably engaged, as shown in Fig. 9, by the insertion of its wing 24a through slot 23 and under flange 2| where it is held in a non-adjustable position in the case. The partition 24 is formed of a sheet of metal bent to provide down-turned and up-turned longitudinal flanges 25 within which a transverse partition element 26a is slidably engaged. This member 2611 is bent at right angles to provide the partition 26 which forms the walls of one of the compartments of the case. I also provide the additional partitions 32, each of which have wings 29a bent at right angles through the partition and with a sufficient recess between the members to permit of the wings being inserted under flanges 30, as shown in Fig. 8, or under the flanges 2| through the slots 22 similar to the manner of insertion of wings 24a as shown in Fig. 9, and permitting of slidable movement of the partitions relative to the walls of the case, whereby the sides of the compartments adjacent thereto may be quickly and easily changed by shifting the position of the partitions. The form of case illustrated in Fig. 13 has a mirror M in the cover and is the type of case intended for the use of bathers whereby four compartments are provided for coins, cigarettes, compacts and other personal articles such as keys or the like.

Where a larger number of partitions are desired, I provide a partition 29, Fig. 8, having a wing 24a insertible under the flange 2| and having a suitable slot 33 adjacent said wing to allow for slidable movement and adjustment of the partition relative to the adjacent wall of the case. The partition 29 is provided with overhanging or depending flanges 30, spaced sufficiently from the wall to permit of insertion of the wing 29a of a second partition 32 which may be either integral with the wing 29a and disposed at right angles to it, or may have hinged connections 3| between the wing 29a and the partition 22, as shown in Figs. '7 and 8. The provision of this hinge provides a quick and easy method of enlarging the compartment by folding the partition 32 against the partition 29 when it is desired to eliminate one of the compartments.

The upper portion of wing 2911 as shown in Fig. 8 engages under the flange 3|] of partition 29 whereby an adjustable relation between partition 32 and partition 29 is provided in a simple construction which may be manufactured at small cost.

In larger containers where it may be desirable to positively secure the partition in a particular adjusted position, I provide means for doing this, as shown in Fig. 12, said means consisting of a longitudinal slot 21 in the partition wall 26a, and provide a bolt inserted through partition 24 and flange 25 and slot 21 and engaged by a thumb-nut 28 whereby the member 25 may be tightened to securely engage the partition 26a to prevent movement of same relative to partition 24.

It is within the contemplation of my invention to provide a similar fastening on any or all of the partitions if desired.

It is within the contemplation of my invention to provide suitable means for securing the case directly to a bathing suit or to street clothes.

What I claim is:

1. In a case of the type described, the combination of a box body, a hinged cover, the body of the case having an integral spaced flange adjacent the main wall of the case, a slot in said spaced flange, a partition having a wing engageable behind said flange to hold the partition in place, said partition having opposite overhan ing flanges at the top thereof, additional partitions having wings engageable under said overhanging flanges, said partitions being hingedly connected with said wings, a partition extending longitudinally in the case, said partition having a wing disposed at right angles thereof and engaged behind the flange which is disposed adjacent and in spaced relation to the end of the case, and a partition extending longitudinally of the case, said partition having a partition at right angles thereto and slidably engageable under one of the overhanging flanges of the first mentioned partition.

2. In a case of the type described, the combination of a box body, a hinged cover, the box body having an integral inner flange extending only part Way to the bottom of the case and parallel with and slightly spaced from the main wall forming the sides and ends of the case, slots disposed in said inner flange, partitions having wings insertible in said slots, said partitions being slidable relative to the body of the case, said partitions also having overhanging flanges at the top thereof, inner partitions having wings engaged under the flanges of the first mentioned partitions, said inner partitions being pivotally connected to the flanges to permit of their being folded to a position adjacent and parallel with the partition against which they are mounted, and one or more partitions extending longitudinally of the case, and having wings disposed at right angles to said partitions and slidably engageable with the inner flange of the case.

3. In combination, a case having sides and ends formed with down-turned flanges, slots extending from the top to the bottom of said flanges, a wing insertible under said flanges and slidable relative to the adjacent walls of the case, a partition member hingedly connected to said wing and swingable from a position at right angles to the wing to a position parallel with it, other partition members having down-turned flanges, wings insertible under said flanges and slidable relative to the last mentioned partition members, and partition members hingedly connected to said wings and foldable to lie flat against the aforesaid partition members.

4. In combination, a case having sides and ends formed with down-turned flanges, slots extending from the top to the bottom of said flanges, a wing insertible under said flanges and slidable relative to the adjacent walls of the case,

members hingedly connected to said wings and foldable to lie flat against the aforesaid partition members, and a right angular partition member having one of its sides slidable under the aforesaid downturned flanges of one of the partition 5 members.

ALFRED C. ALLEN. 

